Reflections
by Morfiwien Greenleaf
Summary: Various vignettes featuring Harold Hill and Marian Paroo - fluffy little odds and ends that didn't quite fit into other stories.
1. Turning Forty-Two

_A/N – This vignette was originally just going to be a stand-alone scene bridging the gap mood-wise between the light-hearted "Some Rain Must Fall" and the much more somber "The Dead Stay With Us."_

XXX

_Loving you is snow and jasmine  
And the noise of New Year's Eve.  
Loving you is now and yesterday  
Is real, and make believe._

_Loving you is rain and winter wind  
And gazing at the lazy summer skies;  
Fireworks reflecting in your eyes;  
Foolish and improbable and wise.  
_

_Loving you is tart as lemonade  
And sweet as April wine.  
Loving you is watching  
All the lovely things of life combine.  
_

_In your arms, I'm all I wish I were:  
I'm brave, I'm strong and I'm true  
As long as I can go on living, loving you…_

_~Robert Preston, Mame_

XXX

_Spring 1928_

June was fast approaching, and Marian Paroo Hill would be turning forty-two this year – the exact same age that Harold Hill was when he first came to River City.

As the librarian stood quietly on the threshold to the music room and watched her music professor play _Für Elise_ on their piano, she found it hard to believe that so much time had passed since that momentous summer, which had changed both of their lives forever. Although the conman had indeed reformed and Marian had finally allowed herself to love Harold openly, it took her heart much longer to trust that theirs was truly a lasting love. Indeed, their courtship had been tumultuous as well as passionate, as they had both been firmly set in their solitary ways before they met, and it took a surprising amount of struggle to break down the barriers they'd each built up to protect themselves from pain and heartbreak.

But as they'd both been determined to persevere over their reticence, everything had worked out beautifully for them in the end. Harold had turned fifty-eight on April first, and not only was he a content family man, he was still as passionately in love with her as ever. And Marian felt the same thrill of delight in the pit of her stomach whenever she was in the presence of the man she loved. She especially loved to see him perform, whether he was bombastically conducting a concert for the entire town or quietly playing the piano for his own private enjoyment. As Marian watched her husband's deft fingers tickle the well-worn ivories, she recalled a few other things those marvelous, masculine hands were capable of, and as they were alone in the house this afternoon, she looked forward to experiencing those delights very soon.

Indeed, it wasn't long before Harold sensed her eyes upon him and, turning toward his wife with his usual charming grin, motioned for her to join him on the piano bench for a duet. Although they had never attempted to play Mozart's_ Concerto for Two Pianos_ together in such cramped quarters – they had always performed this piece at the far better equipped music emporium – the music professor did not protest when Marian suggested this selection, even though he knew as well as she did that though the concerto was a duet, it was not a piece made to fit on a single piano. Still, husband and wife managed to solve this dilemma without too much trouble; Harold transposed his section up a few octaves and Marian transposed hers downward, which made for a rather strange-sounding rendition but allowed the two of them to make do.

As Marian's slender fingers moved over the keys, occasionally getting tangled with Harold's in the process and causing him to hit several wrong notes in disconcertment, she giggled and nestled even closer to her husband. This threw him even more off balance – although his repertoire had expanded greatly beyond _Chopsticks_ over the years, the piano remained his weakest instrument in terms of technical skill, despite the passion with which he imbued his playing.

As for Marian, she could easily play any piece note-perfect and continue to tease Harold a little, even as she began to slip into reverie once more. Things had changed so much in sixteen years: Whereas the girls of Zaneeta's generation – now approaching middle age, themselves – would have died of happiness to be seated so close to Professor Hill, today's teenagers fancied famous movie stars like Rudolph Valentino and Buster Keaton. River City's revered bandleader was no less popular among the young women, but now that nearly all of his rich chestnut locks had turned gray and his face was lined, they loved him as a benevolent grandfather rather than a dreamy Adonis. Still, while the music professor's dashing good looks might have faded somewhat with age – but only in the minds of more objective observers, as Marian still considered him the most handsome man she knew – Harold Gregory Hill had lost none of his charisma, and could rivet the attention of a crowd just as easily and elegantly as he had when he first preached about the dangers of a pool table on River City's town green.

And charisma wasn't the only thing Harold hadn't lost. He may have been aging, but he certainly wasn't infirm – although he was nearly sixty, he retained his vigorous carnal appetites, making love to his wife with just as much enthusiasm and passion as he had when he first brought her home as his new and blushing bride. Surmising that this was certainly not the case for most women approaching their seventeenth year of marriage, the librarian felt fortunate indeed that she was still able to enjoy such a full and active life with her husband. Yet as her mother had warned her, she mustn't ever take their passion for granted, because it might become a memory a lot sooner than she or even Harold expected…

"That's the second wrong note you've played in two minutes, Madam Librarian. Soon you'll sound as terrible as I do," the music professor observed with a grin – which immediately faded when he saw that his wife was no longer smiling. "A penny for your thoughts, darling?"

The wonderful thing about being nearly forty-two – as well as having sixteen happy years of marriage under her belt – was that Marian could reveal to her husband everything she'd presently been ruminating over without any fear or embarrassment. And so she did just that.

"A few days ago, Mama told me that she and Papa stopped making love soon after Winthrop was born. Not because they wanted to, but because he, well, _couldn't_ any longer." Marian paused as her cheeks began to crimson, after all. But she didn't let that stop her from continuing to forge bravely ahead in discussing this dicey subject: "Mama said that even though she always knew she'd outlive him due to the difference in their ages, his impotence came as an awful and unexpected shock. And even though Papa didn't pass away until seven years later, the year Winthrop was born was the first time she really started to feel like a widow." The librarian paused again, this time to swallow as an unpleasant lump came into her throat. "She told me this because she thought it best to prepare me for the future, as you're nearly the age that Papa was when he passed away… " She had to pause a third time, as she couldn't speak further lest she burst into tears.

Harold immediately gathered her in a warm hug. "Marian," he said, his voice also heavy with sadness, "I'd be lying if I told you these things haven't crossed my mind, as well. But let me tell you something, my dear little librarian… " He moved away from her a little, just enough so he could look into her eyes and cup her damp cheek in his hand. "If Providence ever sees fit that I should no longer be able to make love to you in the traditional way, I'm not about to let that stop me from pleasuring you in any way I can." He grinned – though his gaze remained serious. "After all, I'll still have my hands" – he cupped and caressed her breasts, making her shiver pleasantly indeed – "and my mouth" – he craned his head and gave her neck a love-bite that was brief but hard enough to make her cry out in delight. "Nothing short of the complete and total destruction of my body could keep me from loving you… "

As Harold's mouth continued to roam over her cheeks, neck and throat, Marian impishly murmured, "Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend, before we too into the dust descend… "

Her husband chuckled. "Is that an invitation, _Missus_ Hill?" he asked in between kisses.

"Certainly not! It's a line from the _Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam_," the librarian answered primly. When Harold's head snapped upward to look questioningly at her – she laughed inwardly to see that she could still knock him off balance – she tilted her head and gave her husband that sly, sideways smile she knew drove him wild. "But then again… that _was_ the 'dirty book' Mrs. Shinn scolded me about recommending to Zaneeta the very day you first walked into my life. And perhaps she was indeed on to something… " Her smile turned wistful at the recollection. "It's funny, the little things one remembers, so many years later."

"Mmm," Harold agreed as he buried his head in her shoulder and nuzzled the curve of her neck, clearly more interested in _not_ talking for awhile.

So Marian only said one more thing, and rather breathlessly, as his mouth and hands were claiming her downright ravenously at this point: "Do you want to stay in the music room or go elsewhere? We have the whole house to ourselves for the afternoon – Robert is at Mama's and Penny and Elly went to a movie."

Harold paused in his ministrations and pulled away to look at her again, and she was delighted to see his eyes twinkling as mischievously as ever. "You know, darling," he said fondly, "I'm feeling awfully nostalgic, myself. I was just recalling the first time we canoodled on this very piano bench during our honeymoon – you were so sweetly retiring, even as you kissed me just as eagerly as I kissed you. I would never have attempted to make love to you anywhere but our bedroom in those early days, though I certainly wanted to. But when I did take you upstairs that afternoon, you were so giving, and so _warm_. You took my breath away." He softly kissed her lips. "You still do."

Pulling her to her feet and sweeping her up in his arms, the music professor headed toward the stairwell. Even in the midst of her glee, the ever-sensible librarian issued a protest or two – after all, they _were_ getting older and they must take care to avoid needless injury – but she quickly yielded when Harold silenced her with a heated kiss. And then Marian was no longer thinking about mortality; in this moment, wrapped in her husband's strong, steady arms and anticipating a long and delicious afternoon of lovemaking ahead, she felt wonderfully, gloriously _alive_.


	2. Three-Month Anniversary

_A/N – This vignette is a scene that didn't quite fit into "Being in Love." A little piece of fluff detailing what exactly happened at the footbridge the night Harold took Marian there to both celebrate their three-month anniversary of courting and make things up to her after being less than straightforward about his whereabouts that afternoon._

XXX

_October 1912_

The moment Harold got the librarian to the footbridge, he turned to her, took her hands in his, and leaned in for a kiss.

But Marian was quicker. While her bombastic music professor may have done a first-rate job of providing a romantic evening with serenading and strolls, he still hadn't quite told her what he was up to – or why he felt the need to conceal his doings. "So this present you mentioned – when do I get to receive it?" she teased, just before his mouth met hers.

Harold halted and grinned. "Soon," he promised. While his smile was enigmatic, his tone was earnest. She decided not to question him further… yet.

Marian thought her dashing music professor would proceed with his original plan and close the distance between them, but he seemed to change his mind; instead, he lifted her hands to his lips and bathed her fingers with small, sweet kisses. When his mouth trailed down to trace the bauble on her left wrist, it seemed the perfect opportunity to continue the conversation: "Will this new present be as wonderful as my silver bracelet?"

Harold paused in his ministrations, his eyes meeting hers. "Better," he said solemnly.

Marian's heart gave a queer little flip-flop – but she refrained from jumping to any unwarranted conclusions. Normally, the librarian would have archly wondered aloud what could possibly be a better gift than a bracelet engraved with dates that held important romantic significance for the two of them, but the music professor's expression was so serious – and desirous – that she felt her own smile fading into a look of sheer longing.

Now Harold did kiss her, tenderly and gently at first, and then, as Marian let out a soft sigh and melted more completely into his embrace than she ever had before, he dipped her and deepened his kiss. When he finally let her go, she giggled and clutched at his lapels. But the music professor did not share her levity; he was now looking at her with such intensity that it made her breathless and giddy.

"Marian," he began and then trailed off, sounding a little breathless, himself.

There was something different in Harold's tone, something grave and wonderful, that made her heart flip-flop again. "Yes?"

"I… I'm sorry about this afternoon," he finally said, leaning down and burying his head in her shoulder. "I love you, Marian; I love you more than anything. I hope you know that."

"I know that, Harold," she affirmed. But some imp must have been whispering in the librarian's ear, because she couldn't help observing, only half teasingly, "However, after this afternoon's discrepancy, I couldn't help wondering if obfuscation and secrecy remain more attractive to the former fly-by-night salesman than perhaps he'd like to admit."

Harold immediately lifted his head to look at her. True to form, he cut right to the heart of the matter, addressing the pesky but persistent glimmer of apprehension that lingered no matter how much she tried to convince herself the reformed conman had demonstrated that he was truly ready to settle down and build a life with her in River City: "Marian, I'm not planning to go anywhere I can't take you with me."

And then he was kissing her again, full and deep. He still held her in a dip – an amusing novelty that the librarian wondered at but nevertheless went along with. Much later, Harold would confess to his delighted wife that he held her this way to avoid pulling her hips to his, pressing her against the railing of the footbridge, removing the ring from his pocket, and whispering his marriage proposal as he thrust against her and bestowed heated love-bites on her slender neck. But for now, Marian embraced the man she loved in blithe and maidenly ignorance, and accepted what he presently had to offer with an untroubled heart.


	3. The Dynamics of Motherhood

_A/N – I've already written quite a few fics exploring Marian and Harold's adjustment to pregnancy and parenthood – all before experiencing pregnancy and parenthood, myself. This vignette was written to capture a few additional thoughts and feelings after actually going through the experience._

XXX

_November 1913_

Although Marian Paroo Hill was never a woman to lie abed except in the rare circumstances when she was gravely ill, the final month of pregnancy rendered her so exhausted in both body and spirit that such confinement was not a burden. So for the first time in her life, the industrious librarian happily and gratefully allowed her husband and her mother to handle the running of her meticulously well-ordered household once Dr. Pyne had placed her on strict bed rest.

However, when the twins were finally born, the excruciating pressure on her pelvis immediately eased and, though there was some lingering residual pain whenever she shifted positions in bed, Marian was once again eager to rise and resume her previous duties. However, while her spirit was now willing, her body was still too weak, and she was forced to continue her confinement for a bit longer than she would have preferred.

When Marian was finally deemed strong enough by Dr. Pyne to emerge from her bed for a proper bath – a mere three days after having given birth, thank heavens! – her resolve not to wallow in her own vanity crumbled; the first thing she did as soon as she closed the washroom door was remove her robe and stand completely unclothed before the full-length mirror. What she saw made her sigh in dreary but unsurprised resignation: swollen ankles and calves, floppy and distended stomach, overripe breasts leaking milk… as she'd surmised, her physique was nowhere near its former glory as "the perfect hourglass figure for an erotic postcard." This was a sweet nothing that Harold had murmured in her ear during their wedding night as his hands and lips ardently explored her naked body; a flowery compliment from a silver-tongued charmer indeed, but one she'd dearly treasured.

But what really startled Marian was change in her face. Although the librarian fortunately hadn't gained any puffiness in her cheeks and neck, as some pregnant women were so unfortunate as to experience, there was something different about her countenance, something subtle but striking that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Yet the difference was there, all the same; something in the look in her eyes and the curve of her lips and even the hollows of her cheeks that spoke of grave but wonderful transformation. After a great deal of pain and struggle, she'd successfully brought not one but two new and miraculous little human beings into the world. Penelope Anne and Elinor Jane were indeed marvels; even at this earliest of junctures, Marian already fathomed she could see faint glimmers of her daughters' personalities forming – or at least, she fancied she did. At any rate, Penelope was definitely the fussier of the two, whereas Elinor was a bit more sedate.

As Marian gazed at her reflection and mused over the changes motherhood had wrought in both body and spirit, she wondered if Harold had noticed these new elements in her countenance, and what he thought of them if he had. Although he himself looked a bit more harried in expression these days as he adjusted to fatherhood, he remained just as considerate and loving a husband as he'd been while the librarian was still heavily pregnant, scrambling to fetch her anything and everything she needed so she could rest as much as possible while tending to their daughters – and not daring to do much more than occasionally press soft kisses to her forehead lest he cause her pain or annoyance. Normally, Marian would have protested at being treated like she was made of spun glass, but now that she was nursing two infants around the clock, she was grateful for his thoughtful distance. While she still loved her husband very much, she was so worn out from the rigors of labor and continuously attending to two ravenous babies it was hard to fathom enjoying anyone else's touch, let alone making love – at least, not for a very long time.

But one evening, only about three weeks after the twins were born, in a rare moment where the librarian was not nursing or soothing or cuddling or changing or cleaning the girls, Harold brought _Pride and Prejudice_ to her as she reclined on the parlor sofa… along with a kiss that, while gentle, awakened feelings that Marian hadn't experienced for several months. As usual these days, her husband did not impose on her any further, so she took the liberty of wrapping her arms around him and pulling him closer. Out of surprise or concern for his wife's welfare – or possibly a little bit of both – Harold hesitated to respond in kind at first. But true to form, he quickly recovered and, wrapping his arms warmly around her in return, deepened their kiss. When his lips parted from hers a short while later, Marian found that she was _still_ unsatisfied and let out a low moan of disappointment – which tapered off into a delighted sigh when Harold softly but ardently trailed his mouth along the line of her jaw and down the side of her neck.

Although the librarian still had a ways to go until her body achieved full recovery, she had no qualms about expressing her enjoyment of her husband's sweet ministrations; she was certain that Harold remained just as keenly aware of her delicate condition even in the midst of canoodling, for the tenor of his embrace remained painstakingly tender even as her fingers began to stroke the short fringe at the nape of his neck. And perhaps even the indefatigable music professor was exhausted, too; while this caress had never failed to elicit an impassioned groan and an involuntary arch of his body into hers, on this occasion he simply exhaled happily and paused in his kisses to give her throat an affectionate little nuzzle.

Still, even though this was an embrace that would lead absolutely nowhere, Marian would have reveled for quite a while in the delectable sensation of being able to hold the man she loved so close again without discomfort… if the twins hadn't awakened and started squalling to be fed.

Husband and wife both let out a good-natured sigh and parted, and Harold stood up to retrieve their daughters as Marian untied the sash of her dressing gown, unfastened the buttons of her maternity corset, and propped up pillows beneath her back and arms – a pre-nursing ritual husband and wife had completed countless times. But just before the music professor walked over to their bassinet, the weariness faded from his expression and he gave her _that_ look.

And Marian knew that when the time came, she would make love to Harold just as eagerly and passionately as she had before.


	4. Des Moines Drabbles

_A/N – Harold ended up traveling to Des Moines several times in the MG Universe, so I thought it would be a fun challenge to try my hand at some 100-word drabbles capturing the essence of a few of his trips._

XXX

_January 1913_

The first time Harold traveled to Des Moines, it was for the funeral of his mother-in-law's dear friend. So he and Marian were _not _there for romance, as he had originally envisioned for their first trip away from River City. But being newlyweds, they often took longer than was strictly necessary to dress for dinner, and one night, when Mrs. Paroo was snoring loudly, Harold's eyes locked onto his wife's in a heated, questioning gaze. When she looked at him with almost desperate invitation, his fingers found their way beneath the hem of her nightgown for a good twenty minutes.

XXX

_May 1914_

The second time Harold traveled to Des Moines, he went alone. The boys' band desperately needed a new supplier, so it wasn't a trip he could put off until the twins were old enough to stay with family. He felt the lack of Marian's companionship even more keenly now that Fred Gallup had a wife that he adored, and who clearly adored him in return. Hearing their heated moans through the paper-thin walls of the bed and breakfast they were all staying in, Harold would have given anything for even just those twenty minutes of furtive fumbling beneath the sheets.

XXX

_May 1915_

The third time Harold traveled to Des Moines, he took Marian with him. Although he was once again traveling for business, he made sure to find plenty of time to explore the sights the city had to offer – his favorite being that of his wife writhing against him as they lay cozily cocooned beneath silky sateen sheets and a plush eiderdown coverlet. He'd booked a room at the most luxurious hotel they could afford, and it was well worth the money – Fred and Lucy spent just as much time ensconced in an adjacent room, and they never heard a peep.

XXX

_October 1921_

On his fourth trip to Des Moines, Harold brought Marian and the twins, and the entire Hill family stayed in Fred and Lucy's flat. In such cramped quarters, husband and wife had even less privacy than they did during their first visit to the city, and refrained from even the most furtive caressing… until they just couldn't _take_ it anymore and, like a couple of naughty teenagers, quietly but shamelessly fooled around in the washroom early one morning while everyone was still asleep. After that interlude, Harold decided it was high time to start saving up for Paris in earnest.


	5. Nights Spent Not Sleeping

_A/N – Another writing challenge/experiment, inspired by Sassy Lil Scorpio's fic, "Her Name Was Vernita Green" (if you are a Kill Bill fan I highly recommend checking it out, along with "Foaming at the Mouth," an excellent character study on Elle Driver). I borrowed the livejournal prompt, "50 Sentences based on 1 character" – my apologies if the sentences are more convoluted than usual; this type of fic is harder to pull off than it looks! – and adapted it to describe a scenario Tmyres77 challenged me to write a fic about: It is mid-December 1912, and even though their honeymoon has passed, Harold and Marian have stayed up far too late making love, and must deal with the consequences of exhaustion now that they have resumed their busy schedules._

XXX

_A guy what takes his time, I'll go for any time.  
I'm a fast movin' gal who likes them slow.  
Got no use for fancy drivin', want to see a guy arrivin' in low.  
I'd be satisfied, electrified to know a guy what takes his time…_

_~Mae West_

XXX

**01. Blend**

_How does one blend into proper society after such a long night of _not _sleeping, even if it was with one's husband?_ Marian Paroo Hill wondered as she stifled her yawns and tried to reduce the intensity of the beam that lit up her face when she greeted passerby on her way to the library – a conspicuous three hours later than usual.

**02. Stain**

Perhaps the former charlatan should have considered it yet another stain on his conscience that he had thrown his dear little librarian's precise and well-ordered schedule into such glaring disarray, but all Professor Hill could do was grin from ear to ear as he rather drowsily went about his own business.

**03. Island**

No man was an island – especially in River City! – but Harold didn't even try to conceal the delighted exhaustion in his eyes or smile, nor did he care if anyone took issue with a newly married man's obvious happiness and clucked about it behind his back.

**04. Apple**

However, out of respect for his wife's sense of propriety, Harold made sure his behavior was beyond reproach when they arrived at Mrs. Paroo's house for lunch later that afternoon – and he was pleasantly stunned when, shortly after they'd each ravenously downed heaping portions of the matron's stick-to-your-ribs Irish stew and scrumptious apple pie, Marian approached him in the parlor with a mischievous gleam in her eyes and gave him a long, deep and delicious kiss.

**05. Paper**

Normally, Harold would have groaned at the mound of paperwork Tommy Djilas had so helpfully left on his desk while he was gone for lunch, but on this particular afternoon, the music professor found it made an excellent pillow for a clandestine snooze before band rehearsal.

**06. Relax**

Marian, too, had noticeably relaxed her standards in terms of keeping up with the constant flow of books being taken out and returned, but as her desk was in public, she attempted to at least present a veneer of industriousness… though judging by the giggling of Cissy Gale and her friends when they caught sight of the gibberish the librarian was languidly typing onto an index card, she wasn't fooling anyone.

**07. Leaves**

Marian normally would have chastised herself for setting such a poor example for these girls, who certainly did not need any more encouragement to be frivolous and addle-pated with romance, but she had turned over a new leaf since her marriage; indeed, she and Harold had turned over several new leaves last night, mirroring more than a few of the scandalous illustrations she'd glimpsed in _The Perfumed Garden_ and _Kama Sutra_.

**08. Proof**

However, although Marian blushed to recall the more unusual configurations they'd been entwined in, she was most decidedly _not_ abashed because she knew from the heatedly fond way Harold looked at her and the steady stream of sweet declarations he whispered in her ear that it was more than mere lust to him; at these proofs of his devotion, the librarian strove to demonstrate the depth of her feelings by loving her husband just as warmly, passionately and openly.

**09. Ugly**

When Marian confessed to Harold in a soft, sad whisper that she used to wish she were ugly so as not to attract unwanted male attention, he held her even closer and silently vowed that if Ed Griner or any other man of his ilk so much as _looked_ at his wife with ill-intentioned covetousness, he'd sorely regret it.

**10. Book**

Of course, Harold hadn't quite done everything by the book during his own pursuit of the librarian, as she archly reminded him when he heatedly told her he'd never put up with anyone, man _or_ woman, treating her with anything less than the utmost respect.

**11. Brood**

But as Harold was never a man to brood about the past even though he did harbor a few regrets about his previous behavior, his response to his wife's gentle teasing was to give her a searing kiss to show her that he meant business – and when her thighs immediately parted to welcome the ardent advances of his fingers and then his mouth, he reveled in this unspoken reminder that Marian would never have allowed their intimacy progress to this degree if she hadn't completely trusted he was as good as his word.

**12. Mesh**

Although Harold had always excelled at spinning grand, pie-in-the-sky visions that captured people's imaginations, even he never could have dreamed that he'd end up so happily enmeshed in one of his own illusions – that of an accomplished music professor with a thriving business, comfortable home and devoted wife… and perhaps even a child or two, if whatever fortune, fate or deity that had led him to River City and to Marian saw fit to smile upon him once more.

**13. Soft**

Harold had to laugh when a similarly-grinning Marcellus Washburn, who'd stopped by the emporium to purchase a new mouthpiece for his tuba, observed that the former fly-by-night salesman had gone completely soft – and although the music professor fired back a retort noting his erstwhile shill's own complete and uncomplaining surrender to the delights of domesticity, both men knew that they wouldn't have changed how they'd ended up.

**14. Shelf**

As she lay supremely content in her husband's arms, Marian couldn't help recalling how even Amaryllis had believed the town's librarian was consigned by fate (or perhaps her own prickly personality) to eternal spinsterhood – and laughed inwardly as she reflected that she most certainly had _not_ been left on the shelf, as her mother feared and everyone else in River City predicted.

**15. Alone**

Now that Marian was indeed married – and to a man she loved passionately as well as congenially – it was hard not to spend more time than she ought to have reveling in the fact that she no longer had to endure winter's long and cold nights alone, and she knew from the feverish intensity of her husband's embrace and the awed tenderness of his expression as he made love to her that he felt exactly the same way.

**16. Fall**

Of course, the womanizing charlatan and the pariah librarian had both fallen much harder for each other than common sense would have deemed appropriate, but as everything had worked out so beautifully in the end, the pair gleefully and shamelessly continued to flout propriety by _not_ sleeping well into the night – even though their honeymoon was officially behind them and their days were jam-packed with several social and civic obligations.

**17. Knot**

However, as Harold purred into her ear in that low, velvety voice of his when Marian slyly observed it was well past midnight on a weekday and they still hadn't managed to fall into the briefest of dozes: Now that they'd finally tied the knot, why shouldn't they have a little fun?

**18. Crowd**

Although Marian's reproach about the lateness of the hour had been good-natured in tone, Harold's embrace slackened and he moved away from her a little, earnestly assuring his wife that it hadn't been his intention to overcrowd her – and his silver tongue was promptly silenced when the librarian laughed and pulled both his mouth and his body flush against hers once more.

**19. Denial**

Now that Harold and Marian were no longer in denial about the true depth of their desire for one another, as they'd been during that tumultuous first month of their acquaintance, and now that they no longer had to exercise cautious restraint when they were alone together, as they'd had to during their courtship, they didn't attempt to curtail their ardor – even as inconvenient as lack of sleep might prove the next day.

**20. Train**

Harold ought to have let his wife sleep for at least a little while once the sun started to peek up over the horizon, but when the whistle of the early-morning train jolted him out of his doze, he was reminded of just how lonely the life he left behind had been, and his mouth eagerly sought Marian's once more.

**21. Fur**

Back when Marian had utterly despised him, she'd really made the fur fly during their encounters, so Harold found it even more intoxicating that the librarian now made love to him with the same passionate vehemence as she'd once spurned and denounced him.

**22. Chrome (Chromium)**

Marian knew the library's archives so well that even obscure book requests rarely stymied her, but when Tommy Djilas arrived seeking information on the properties of chromium for a report for his science class, the librarian had to relinquish her romantic reveries so she could fully concentrate on the task at hand.

**23. Heart**

But when Marian caught sight of Zaneeta Shinn perusing _Daniel Deronda_ (yet another classic that had once been looked upon with suspicion by the River City-ziens due to its Zionist and other risqué themes), her heart constricted when she reflected just how fortunate she was to have married a man who was gentle, affectionate and considerate even in the midst of his wilder appetites; as lonely as the librarian had once been, she would much rather have died an unloved spinster than suffered the emotional and physical degradation Gwendolen Harleth miserably endured as the wife of the cruel and brutal Henleigh Grandcourt.

**24. Intention**

For even though Harold had both shamelessly and vigorously kept her up all night, Marian knew it hadn't been his intention to purposely rob her of sleep, let alone mistreat her out of a wicked sense of delighted malice; while her husband's ardent caresses were bold, they were never forceful.

**25. Push**

Although Harold had indeed promised himself he'd never push Marian into doing anything she didn't want to do, he wasn't above using a little heated persuasion to urge her to loosen up a little in the bedroom; however, marriage had already put so much at ease that he hardly needed to do anything for her to be a willing and active participant not only in keeping them awake long into the night, but in venturing down new avenues of passion that a lady might not have initially considered pleasurable, let alone appropriate.

**26. Look**

However, from the sweetly provocative come-hither looks Marian gave him as they writhed feverishly together, physically intimate as two people could possibly be, Harold knew she was enjoying even the more unorthodox positions they ended up in just as much as he was.

**27. Weight**

It was a huge weight off Harold's shoulders to know that even though his wife was a blushing novice in practice – if not in theory – when it came to carnal affairs, she was not at all disgusted or scandalized by the intensity of their passion.

**28. Spider**

Yet it was the little moments of levity in the midst of their lovemaking that the music professor loved best, such as when he surreptitiously tickled Marian's arm with his fingers and teased that it must have been a spider crawling on her, earning him an exasperated glare from the no-nonsense librarian even as laughter danced in her eyes.

**29. Robe**

In retaliation, Marian had coyly slipped the sleeve of Harold's forest-green robe off his shoulder and, instead of tickling him in return, she kissed her way down his shoulder and throat and chest so tenderly that he found himself pleading for her to _not_ stop, even as he rolled her beneath him to make love to her again.

**30. Umbrella**

While the librarian was a stunningly gorgeous woman, it was her loving and unselfish nature that really made Harold's heart quicken when he thought of her – even after he'd kept her up all night and they were both running scandalously late, she insisted that he take their only umbrella with them that morning, as the emporium was a much farther walk from their home than the library.

**31. Surface**

The emotions that Marian stirred in him still amazed the music professor; in most cases, his desire to be with a woman had only lasted one or two trysts, at best, but even after nearly a month of marriage, he'd barely scratched the surface of his longing for the librarian.

**32. Idea**

Even after his reformation, the idea of making love to only one woman for the remainder of his earthly existence continued to unsettle Harold a bit – would a man like him, who'd always gloried in his freedom, really be able to remain faithful even to a beloved? – but as their courtship progressed and he started thinking of it as making love to Marian for the rest of his life, it became a surprisingly easy and delightful notion not just to fathom, but downright anticipate.

**33. Diamond**

When the sun came up in earnest and husband and wife subsided into another dreamy lull, Harold left Marian to her slumber and gazed out the window at the ice-encased branches, which glittered like diamonds in the early-morning light; he really ought to have gotten up by now, but the world, while beautiful, was awfully cold, and he much preferred to stay where it was warm.

**34. Blind**

When Marian awoke to find her husband snuggled against her chest, quietly but avidly listening to her heartbeat, she told him with a smile that he mustn't expect too much warmth from "a lump of lead as cold as steel"; she'd said this jokingly, as the words no longer hurt to recall, but her husband's head immediately shot up and he hotly declared that anyone who'd ever believed her to be coldhearted – including him – was a blind fool.

**35. Flow**

As the music professor often overflowed with praise for what he deemed were the librarian's many fine qualities, Marian rarely acknowledged his outpourings with anything more than a coy smile, even though she inwardly reveled in the certainty that her silver-tongued flatterer of a husband meant every word he said to _her_; but this morning, she couldn't help herself, and pulled Harold into a kiss that demonstrated the full measure of her delight.

**36. Movement**

Indeed, Harold often paid Mrs. Shinn and the other members of the Ladies' Dance Committee admiring compliments as to their grace, natural flow of rhythm, and expression of line and movement, but from the first time he followed Marian home that warm July evening, it had only ever been the slight but tantalizing sway of the librarian's hips as she strode confidently forward that truly set his pulse racing.

**37. More**

"I don't suppose we could petition the Almighty to add a few more hours to the night?" Harold chuckled when he caught Marian valiantly attempting to stifle her exhaustion mid-yawn as his fingers once again found their way into the softness between her thighs – and he was both amused and gratified when she nodded vehemently before covering his mouth with hers.

**38. Honey**

Harold really should have gotten up when Marian's bedside alarm went off – or at the very least, he should have let go of his wife so she could rise and attend to her usual morning ablutions – but instead, he buried his face in the librarian's tousled honey-blonde curls and huskily whispered, "Fifteen more minutes."

**39. Weather**

As the sun climbed even higher in the sky and husband and wife continued to bask idly in the warmth of each other's embrace, they talked of prosaic, everyday things – including the weather, which was now in season, so it was a perfectly acceptable topic of conversation.

**40. Blue**

Harold supposed it had all started when Marian came to bed wearing the delectable sky-blue "Marie Antoinette" nightgown he'd given her on the first night of their honeymoon, but really, when had he needed a specific excuse to spend a whole night making love to the woman who meant more to him than anyone or anything?

**41. Double**

When Harold reflected how different his life was these days, he was doubly grateful that not only had he been able to overcome his former fly-by-night existence with such aplomb, but that he'd been able to rein in his carnal appetites long enough to make it to the altar with Marian; even he would not have been able to enjoy their long nights of lovemaking as blithely as he did now, if the nagging thought that they might be blessed with a child just a little _too_ soon to be a premature birth had been lurking at the back of his mind.

**42. Braid**

Still lying in bed much later than he should have been the next morning, Harold languidly watched his wife braid her hair and then wind it up into a tight chignon – and as tired as he was, he still had to stifle the urge to get up, go over and dishevel it once more.

**43. Thread**

However, the music professor did marshal enough energy to get up, encircle his dear little librarian in a warm hug and give her a soft but deep kiss, gently threading his fingers in the loose curls that charmingly framed her beautiful face; when he finally parted from her, Marian let out an indulgent laugh and said, "I wondered what it would take to get you _out_ of bed this morning."

**44. Angels**

Despite the numerous improvements made to the Think System, the River City boys' band was still, in truth, hardly fit to play among the choirs of angels – and thanks in large part to Professor Hill's happy stupor, they ended up sounding even more toneless than usual at today's rehearsal.

**45. Daydream**

Harold often teased his lovely wife to get a rise out of her regarding the sweetly vapid expression she wore while daydreaming, and he could only laugh in contented defeat when he realized he was now on the receiving end of such impertinence; his boys snickered, chattered and goofed off far more than they usually would have during a rehearsal because their normally sharp music professor was conducting them in a similar absentminded haze.

**46. Nightmare**

Even as she sighed in resignation at the library's slightly more than usual – but nevertheless scandalous – state of disarray, Marian couldn't help giggling; if Harold was in the same lackadaisical mood as she was today, the rehearsal for the Christmas concert was likely to be a complete nightmare.

**47. Honor**

Marian supposed she ought to start insisting that they get more sleep at night, but even in the midst of her own exhaustion, she didn't have the heart to be too strict about such matters just yet; she realized that Harold considered it a matter of honor to love her as sweetly and passionately as he knew how, and she also felt it important to reciprocate, even if it did occasionally interfere with their other duties.

**48. Palm**

Just before they each went their separate ways – she to the library, he to the music emporium – Harold caught Marian's gloved hand in his and lightly stroked her palm with his thumb, a coy reminder of last night's delights and a heated promise of what she could look forward to when they got home that evening.

**49. Screen**

As a conman, Harold had taken great care to hide his feelings behind a smokescreen of devil-may-care nonchalance even when he was ensconced beneath the sheets with a woman he genuinely desired, but when he made love to Marian, he was naked in both body and soul – and to the music professor's surprise and delight, the more he opened his heart to the librarian, the more he wanted to be with her.

**50. Warmth**

When Harold met his wife at the library around closing time, her weary expression immediately perked up and she nestled closer to him than was strictly necessary even on a chilly December evening; as he felt the warmth of Marian's body against his, the fatigued music professor's pulse began to race and he forgot his own exhaustion, as well…


End file.
